U.S. flags honor Idaho airmen killed in I-84 crash. New memorial built to last
A “lasting memorial” honoring three Idaho airmen who died in a 2018 crash now hangs above Interstate 84 in Boise.
The memorial includes two metal American flag signs on the Cloverdale Road overpass that drivers can see while traveling the Interstate, one in each direction. The Idaho Transportation Department said Thursday that crews installed the flags the previous night.
The signs replace a display of 32 fabric flags that previously flew along the overpass fence, originally placed by community members after the crash, according to an ITD news release.
“While the flags were a meaningful expression of remembrance, they were not designed for long-term outdoor installation along a high-traffic interstate corridor,” the release said.
Twenty-two of those flags were vandalized in March 2025, prompting the department to replace them — and consider a more permanent memorial, the Idaho Statesman reported at the time.
ITD said the site had become an “informal place of remembrance” for the airmen from the Mountain Home Air Force base who were killed in the multiple-vehicle crash: Senior Airman Carlos V. Johnson, 23; Senior Airman Lawrence P. Manlapit III, 26; and Senior Airman Karlie A. Westall, 21.
The release noted that the new signs were “mounted permanently” and “designed to provide a durable, respectful and consistent display that can withstand weather and roadway conditions.”
ITD spokesperson John Tomlinson told the Statesman by email that they are made of aluminum panels and shine reflectively in red, white and blue, meaning that drivers are able to see them at night.
